Swingable road sign



3, 5- H. J. STEINBERGER El AL- 2,409,076

SWINGABLE ROAD SIGN Filed Dc. 27, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Hang/J S'zezn erye/r 5am Sanders a 4 (I 5 (Mg draug 1946- Q J. STEINBERGER ETAL 2,409,075

SWINGABLE ROAD SIGN Filed Dec. 27, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Harry J sienzfie/ yer.

S m Sandeks- Patented Oct. 8, 1946 *UNHTED STATES PATENT @FFECE SWINGABLE ROAD SIGN Harry J. Steinberger and Sam Sanders, Artesia, N. Mex.

Application December 27, 1944, Serial No. 570,027

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in road. signs of a type including a horizontal arm projecting in a direction toward the road from an upstanding post, and the invention has for its primary object to provide a rotatable support for the post by means of which the arm may swing horizontally when struck by a vehicle traveling along the road.

The invention is designed primarily for use in conjunction with road-working machinery used for cleaning the ditches or shoulders at the edge of the road, the sign being adapted for swinging into an out-of-the-way position so as to prevent interference with the road-working machinery.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotatable post for a horizontal sign-supporting arm and in which the post is constructed to au-- tomatically return to its original position should the arm be struck by a vehicle or otherwise swung into a position toward the side of the road.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efiicient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through the supporting tube for the post.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the postsupporting tube.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View taken substantially on a line 4- l of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lower end of the post.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates a base member having an internally threaded upstanding annular flange 6 with which an upstanding tube 1 is threadedly engaged, the base and lower portion of the tube 1 being adapted for embedding in the ground adjacent the edge of a ditch 8 of a road or highway 9. The sides of the tube 1 are formed with wings l0 projecting laterally therefrom to anchor the tube against rotating movement in the ground.

A pipe section II is supported in an upright position on the base 5 with the lower end of the pipe section welded or otherwise suitably secured to the base, the walls of the pipe section II being spaced from the walls of the tube 1, as will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 2 of the drawings. The upper edge of the pipe section I I is inclined, as indicated at 12, and adapted for rotatably supporting the inclined lower edge of a pipe l3 thereon.

A cylindrical guide [4 is attached to the base 5 within the pipe section I l and projects upwardly into the lower end of the pipe l3 to thus maintain the pipe IS in position on the upper end of the pipe section II.

A cap I5 is mounted on tube 1 and having a central opening the pipe i3 is rotatably positioned.

The pipe l3 projects upwardly above the tube l to constitute a post and to the upper end of which is secured a T-fitting I! having one end of a horizontal arm I8 connected thereto. A brace l9 extends from the inner end of the arm l8 to the pipe I3.

The arm 18 is preferably of hollow construction and has a flexible extension 20, preferably in the form of a coil spring secured in its outer end by a set screw 2|. A sign 22 is suspended from the extension 2!], the sign 22 having any suitable indicia displayed thereon.

A highway sign or marker 23 is also supported on the upper end of a rod 24 extending downwardly through the pipe I3 and secured in a plug 25 threaded in the upper end of the T-fitting :5. The lower end of the rod 24 is attached to the guide l4 by means of a coil spring 26, the tension of the coil spring serving to urge the rod 24 and pipe is downwardly with inclined edges of the pipes H and 13 in uniform abutting relation to thus maintain the arm is in an outwardly extended position with respect to the road 9.

The tube 1 may be supplied with oil to facilitate rotary movement of the lower end of the ipe l3 on the pipe section II.

In the operation of the device, the arm l8 and sign 20 will occupy a position to project transversely above the ditch 8 of the roadway 9 and upon striking of the arm l8 by a vehicle or other object passing along the highway close to the ditch 8, the arm it will swing inwardly whereby to rotate the post l3 on its supporting upstanding pipe section II. The rotation of the post I3 will cause a slight raising movement of the post to place a, tension on the spring 26 and which through its connection with the upper end of the post [3 by the rod 24 and plug 25 wi11 exert a the upper end of the IS in which downward force on the post [3 to thus return the post and the arm 3 to its original position.

It is believed that the details of construction and manner of use of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing without further 5 detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A road sign comprising a base, a tubular member fixed to the base and rising therefrom, a tubular housing rising from the base and adapted for embedding in the ground, a cylindricalguide positioned in the member and projectin 4 upwardly therefrom, said member having an inclined upper edge, a tubular post having a correspondingly inclined lower edge rotatably supported on said member and receiving said guide, a horizontal arm attached to the upper end of the post and adapted to rotate the post upon an object engaging and moving the arm, and spring means exerting a downward pressure on the post to yieldably maintain the inclined edges in 10 matching relation.

HARRY J. S'IEINBERGER. SAM SANDERS. 

